2012 Olympics in Review

Missy Franklin paces U.S. women’s supremacy in the pool

Missy Franklin led the U.S. women’s swimming team to a commanding medal lead. The Americans finished with 15 medals (eight gold) and were well ahead of second-place Australia’s seven total medals.

Franklin’s five medals (tied with teammate Allison Schmitt) and four golds made her the most decorated female athlete at the Games. Franklin finished with five medals in seven events including four golds (100-meter backstroke, 200-meter backstroke, 4×200-meter freestyle relay and 4×100-meter medley relay) and a bronze (4×100-meter freestyle relay).

The 17-year old phenom from Aurora, Colo., set a new world record in the 200-meter backstroke with a time of 2:04.06 and a new American record in the 100-meter backstroke with a time of 58:33. She was also part of the 4x100-meter medley relay that set a world record (3:52:05).

“Every day over the last three years, my faith has grown,” she said. “One of my favorite times is going to our beautiful school chapel and spending time with God. This year, I attended Kairos with my Regis Jesuit sisters and it changed my life forever. I now really work on keeping my faith strong.”